System adapted for one or more electrically propellable vehicles (battery charging arrangement)

• US 8,851,253 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elways AB
• Original Assignee: Elways AB
• Inventors: Asplund, Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jason C
• Application Number:
  US13/638,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20130025992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 191/2, 191/3, 191/14, 191 22 R- 25, 191/22.C, 104/139, 104/140, 104/142, 104/146
• US Class Current: 191/29.R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/42 for collecting current from individual contact pieces connected to the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/36 Single contact pieces along the line for power supply
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle-related system adapted for electrically driving a vehicle along a road-way. The vehicle has three sources of power: a vehicle-related power generator, a set of batteries and vehicle-external electric stations. The vehicle is provided with a current collector which is displaceable up and down and sideways in relation to the direction of transportation, in order to be brought into mechanical and electrical contact with elongated tracks positioned below the roadway and comprising a conductor adapted to be connected with an electric station. A circuit, determining instantaneous power content of the set of batteries, is adapted to connect the vehicle-external power source via a switch belonging to the electric station, in order to charge the set of batteries and/or to supply power to the vehicle motor via a control circuit, when the power content of the set of batteries is at a predetermined level of power, lying below a maximum power content, and a supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is available.

Claims

1. A vehicle-related charging system for propelling an electrically propellable vehicle, by one or several batteries or a set of batteries constituting a second source of power along a roadway comprising a plurality of roadway sections, the charging system comprising:

“

a”

a plurality of roadway portions for subdividing the roadway into said roadway sections, wherein each one of the roadway sections comprises one or more elongated tracks or slits having conductors introduced therein adapted to be supplied with current and put under voltage, and being connectable via a switch to one or more vehicle-external power sources, constituting a third source of power, including vehicle-external electric stations, for thereby enabling a charging of said set of batteries belonging to the vehicle, but primarily driving the vehicle along the roadway and the roadway sections, and

“

b”

one or more driveable or propellable vehicles which may be driven by means of an electric motor or motors, with each of the respective vehicles comprising a first source of power in the form of a vehicle-related power generating means, and a control circuit adapted for necessary distribution of power, adapted for creating a required power and/or speed control, wherein said vehicle is provided on its underneath side with contact means displaceable up and down and sideways, in relation to the direction of transportation of the vehicle,

wherein said elongated track or tracks and the conductors extend along the roadway and the roadway sections, and wherein said contact means is coordinated with a vehicle-related control equipment for creating an adaptation of the contact means so as to at least offer a mechanical and electrical contact with said conductors,

wherein coordination between the conductors put under voltage belonging to the roadway section and the contact means of the vehicle occurs via coordinated current connectors, adapted for mechanical and electrical cooperation with respective ones of the conductors put under voltage,

wherein said first source of power is capable of generating a supply of power or voltage to the motor,

wherein a vehicle-related control unit is adapted to control the activation of each of the three power sources via the control circuit which controls energy distribution and the three power sources,

wherein said control unit is related to a circuit adapted to determine the instantaneous power content of the set of batteries,

wherein said control unit is related to a switching means adapted to provide a connection between the vehicle-external power source and said motor when a supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is available,

wherein said control unit is adapted to connect the set of batteries and/or said vehicle-related power generating means to said motor, when a supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is not available, up

wherein said control unit is related to a circuit adapted to control said switching means in dependency of;

the current roadway section, the adapted speed of the vehicle, the weight of the vehicle, and the instantaneous power supplied to said vehicle via said vehicle-external power source, and

wherein said control unit, related to said circuit, is adapted to connect the vehicle-external power source via said switch belonging to said vehicle-external power source, in order to charge the set of batteries and/or to supply power to said motor via said control circuit, when the power content of the set of batteries is at a predetermined level of power, lying below a maximum power content, and a supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is available.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit determining the power content in the set of batteries is adapted to activate said vehicle-related power generating means, in order to generate a supply of power or voltage to the vehicle, when the supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is not available, or when the power content in the set of batteries is at a predetermined definite low level of power.

3. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein the circuit determining the power content is adapted to activate said vehicle-related power generating means via the control circuit, in order to generate a supply of power or voltage to the vehicle, when the supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is not available and the power content in the set of batteries is at a predetermined lower power level.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit determining the power content in the set of batteries is adapted to activate said vehicle-related power generating means via the control circuit, in order to generate a supply of power or voltage to the vehicle, when the supply of power or voltage from the vehicle-external power source is not available and the power content in the set of batteries is at a predetermined lowest level of power.